Is it possible that some or all of your facilities’ current health and safety signs are not code-compliant? Nationally, it’s one of the leading violations for which OSHA fines facilities. In fact, “hazard communication” violations ranked as the second leading OSHA violation type during their last recording period.

To achieve long-term cost-savings, improved safety and increased production, industrial, institutional and commercial facilities must avoid the following 12 common OSHA Health and Safety Sign mistakes.

1. Non-compliance

Hazard communication violations can include outdated signage. These are often signs designed to meet the old “pre-2007” standards. In many cases, Pre-2007 designs are no longer compliant with ANSI codes and not as effective as the newer and nationally standardized ANSI designs.

Common outdated sign issues include non-compliant headers, colors, words, messages, designs and non-compliant materials. Once you’re familiar with these codes and standards, you can begin tailoring signs to meet your facility’s needs.

2. Forgetting Sign Evaluation

 Typically, industrial facilities display a large number of safety signs. Take time to critically evaluate each and every one of them.

To get the most out of these evaluations, create a simple code-compliance checklist and a visual communication rating system. When signs are found to comply with OSHA/ANSI standards, rate them on their ability to visually communicate the intended message. Non-code compliant signs should be marked for removal and replacement.

Remember, when it comes to safety, the goal should never be to just meet “the minimums.” General safety sign issues include:
• Outdated ANSI designs;
• Outdated ANSI safety symbols;
• Inadequate font sizes;
• Message too generic;
• Missing/Incorrect Safety Symbol;
• Missing signs.

3. Missing Feedback from Workers

Once your evaluations are complete, go back and survey personnel who work in and around locations where signs are displayed. Their involvement in the process will provide the necessary feedback and support you need to improve your health and safety signs.

Recurring issues will highlight the most serious mistakes and provide a clearer picture of what requires correction.

 4. Bypassing “Facility-Wide” Standards

Develop a set of health and safety sign standards for your individual facility. These are known as “facility-wide” standards and must comply with current OSHA/ANSI standards.

Facility-wide standards will help you meet the individual needs of your facility and provide a more consistent design for workers to recognize more quickly.

Common facility-wide standards include:
• Minimum font sizes;
• Minimum pictogram sizes;
• Minimum sign sizes;
• Pictogram usage;
• Color usage;
• Supply material usage;
• Placement locations.

These standards are best divided into categories by sign type. Common sign categories include HazMat, arc flash, warning, caution, notice and “green” safety signs.

Once your facility-wide standards are documented, post them within an arm’s reach of sign printing equipment. Share these new sign standards with all employees during an upcoming facility-wide meeting. This way, design changes are understood by everyone.

5. Purchasing a Poor Printer

When it comes to health & safety sign printing, don’t mess around with standard desktop printers. Ensure your facility is equipped with a quality “industrial” label printer.

If you’re still using a non-industrial printer, it’s likely your health and safety signs are paper. Paper signs are not designed for use in the industrial workplace. Signs used in industrial environments need to stand up to harsh exposures so they provide reliable service.

Find a printer that’s designed to print signs with the kind of lasting supplies workers deserve. True industrial label printers are equipped with a thermal transfer print (TTP) head. These print industrial- strength resins and utilize a more durable supply. This allows for correct sign placement, in environments where other materials won’t last.

Industrial sign printers must also be easy to use. Your safety staff should be able to batch-print professional looking and accurate health and safety signs with only a few clicks of the mouse. This way, hazards can be marked as soon as they are recognized.

6. Using Inferior Materials

Industrial health and safety signs need to have the durability to survive harsh conditions and provide lasting service. This is why “application-specific” industrial labeling supplies play a critical role in your facility’s overall visual communication. Cutting corners on quality will result in shorter label life.

7. Selecting the Wrong Supply

One of the most popular supplies used for health and safety signs is die-cut vinyl. These generally come on a print ready roll with a color “warning” or “danger” header, made for use in industrial environments. The supply materials used to print health and safety signs can have a big impact on your facility’s overall hazardous communication.

Eliminate the risk of lost or damaged hazard communication by using the right supply for the application.

8. Designing with Wrong Sign Colors

Sign color is one of the most overlooked standards in health and safety signage. Always follow ANSI specified color standards for each health & safety sign type displayed. Correct header stripe/background colors:

• Red for “danger;”
• Orange for “warning;”
• Yellow for “caution;”
• Blue for “notice;”
• Green for “safety.”

Color standards offer more than just code-compliance. They help workers recognize health hazards and safety issues sooner and from a distance. This is because ANSI sign color standards provide workers with subconscious keys to help them distinguish hazard types more rapidly.

9. Writing too Generic

When facilities are ill equipped to print industrial signs, generic alternatives may be used as a substitute. Generic alternatives are often going to be less descriptive than a sign you design yourself.

When it comes to safety, it’s critical for signs to accurately describe individual hazards and issues. An in-house industrial label printer allows you to custom tailor signs so workers learn from more accurate and detailed information.

10. Lacking Pictograms

Outside of color, the pictogram, or pictograph, is often the most recognizable feature on a health and safety sign. This is because they are large and provide simple, easy-to-understand instruction.

These simple designs are known to convey information much faster than written words. This is why pictograms should be integrated into almost every health and safety sign. Pictograms also improve sign recognition from a distance, well before text is legible. This provides workers with a safe zone, from which to observe signs and prepare for hazardous exposures.

To help standardize pictogram design, ANSI has established a set of standards. Make sure your new signs follow these standards and consider upgrading existing signs that do not. ANSI Z535 does not currently require sign replacement for outdated pictograms, but OSHA does require these standards be applied for all new signs. Plus, it’s a good idea to keep your facility ahead of the curve.

To help make pictogram standards easy to follow, ANSI offers many standardized pictograms to describe a number of common hazards. Use these exact designs on your signs whenever they accurately describe your specific hazards. Pictograms should be as large and simple as possible.

The goal is to accurately convey a single idea or concept to anyone who observes it.

11. Picking improper locations
When you and your team are deciding where to place your signs, follow OSHA/ANSI standards by placing signs in locations where personnel could come in close proximity of a hazard. Within these locations, make sure signs are also placed where they will be immediately recognized. In most cases, safety is improved by posting health & safety signs in “can’t miss” locations.

ANSI Z535 requires signs and labels be placed so they will be readily visible to the intended viewer and alert the viewer to the hazard in time to take appropriate action.

12. Neglecting Sign Maintenance
Your facility’s health & safety signs require regular maintenance or they will not provide the lasting performance you and your workers depend on.

Schedule regular sign inspections to ensure these signs are providing reliable service.

If they are dirty or obstructed in any way, take time to fix this issue. In most cases, a good cleaning will bring labels back into compliance.

Wiping with a dry, soft rag is generally the safest way to clean your labels. A household ammonia-based cleaner may also be an option, if you are able to confirm your sign supply resists solvents.

If cleaning does not bring a sign back into compliance, or a sign shows cracking or peeling; it’s time for replacement. Remove the old label and any adhesive left behind so a new sign will have a clean surface to adhere to. Avoid covering old signs with new signs. This often diminishes a sign’s life.

Never hesitate to replace a health and safety sign whenever issues such as these are found. They may still function at the time of inspection, but it’s not worth risking unseen failures between inspections.

FSM Steve Stephenson is the director of Product Development at Graphic Products, Inc., a global provider of industrial label printers and labeling supplies. For more information, go to www.duralabel.com or contact him at sstephenson@graphicproducts.com/ (888) 236-8486.